Jehovahs Witnesses and the Wild Beast?

Question

I noticed on the FAQ part of JW.org, that there is a question now about who is the wild beast. Unless there is an extremely recent change in "understanding" on this matter, JW's believe the wild beast of Revelation is the UN. 3 times I studied the Revelation book and all three this was held to.

The FAQ never says this is the case even though every JW knows this to be true. Why?

Answer 1

Simple reasoning helps us to see who the wild beast is.



First Revelation does not stand alone in the explanation of beasts.



Daniel chapters 7 and 8 are very clear who BEASTS represent - it even gives names of ruling powers of the general time frame for different beasts.



So very plainly the beasts DO represent various political systems throughout the earth.



EACH HEAD represents a segment or remnant of the past powers - that is why there are 7 heads - Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the two horned power of today's influence - USA/Britain.



As for a "universal system" - how fragile the global integration is for finances, environmental decisions, even shifting friendships/enemies.



At this point, the UN is not on the same level of influence as the political powers of today. It lends itself to a different path/goal. But it continues to keep a world-wide contact through relief and troops around the globe. There are very few if any countries who have not been contacted in some way with the works of the UN and recognize its reach to the far corners of countries - small and great.



We have to remember that Revelation has SEVERAL beasts - and it needs to be clear what beast is being referred to .



When you say that Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the "beast" is the UN, are you talking about the 7 headed beast? Or the Scarlet colored "beast"? Or the two horned "beast" referred to as a "false prophet", or is it the "image of the "beast"?



So which "wild beast" will devour the harlot?



Revelation 17:16 adds another layer to what has been said - the verse says that it is the "TEN HORNS and the wild beast" that will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked.



Who are the TEN HORNS? That is your clue as to who the "wild beast is."



Go back to Daniel chapter 7 and see the comparison of the ten horns.

Answer 2

John saw a vision of a beast that was to arrise in the future. That future would be "the Lord's day". John was perplexed and so the angel told him about that beast. he said to John that the beast WAS. Other translations word it as ONCE WAS. That means that the beast had existed before John's time or at least some trime prior to when Revelation was written.

The angel then explained that the beast IS NOT. Other translations word this as NOW IS NOT. That means that at the time the angel told John that ,the time revelation was written, the beast did not exist. It had existed before that(once was) but at that time it did not(is not). However, the angel explained that the beast would arrise again in the lords day as John had seen in the vision. Revelation 17 :8 Go to the online translations of the bible where you can get a side by side comparison of all the translations of that chapter and verses. You will see that this is the same beast that recieved the sword stroke and was "dead" but arrose again out of the abyss. The JW leadership have it wrong. It is the same beast. The beast once lived, recieved the death blow and was nonexistant and yet arose again to the astonishment of everyone on earth. Read the bible in context people. Read it in context. Even if the UN does outlaw or ban religion, it still cannot be the beast of revelation for the simple fact that the league of nations and UN did not exist until the 20th century.

Answer 3

The wild beast: Is ALL earthly governments which have been directed by Satan the Devil.



What the Revelation books points out by this statement "when idolizers of earth’s political powers and their image, the United Nations" is that the UN is the "image" of all these nations. Why? Because as we can see, the majority of the nations are part of the UN. and even the ones who aren't have to deal with UN sanctions and tyranny.



Remember the wild beast has 7 heads. One head for each world power and 10 horns which symbolized completeness, or ALL the nations.



As to why the "Governing Body" decided not to put "UN" on the web link you were reading would be a question for them. I

Answer 4

I would venture to say that the skirting around the question and the vagueness on the subject seen on JW.org website is a clear indication that the Org is trying to distance itself from obvious false conclusions it had previously taught as “truth”. It also wants to project an image of moderation and saneness to the unsuspecting person.



As an ex-JW with 23+ years in the Org, including pioneer and elder, I have concluded the WT Org has really no clue on what the “wild beast” represents, regardless of what it has interpreted in the past. The conclusion that the “wild beast” represents the UN is pure conjecture, hypothesis, as is also its interpretation of "Babylon the Great", the great harlot, supposedly representing false religion, especially the so-called ‘Christendom’.



In my day (1960's), the most significant book studied in a formal setting (the former Tuesday night congregation Book Study) dealing with interpretations of the Book of Revelation was "Babylon the Great Has Fallen- God's Kingdom Rules!”. In it, expansive explanations of the “wild beast”, “Babylon the Great”, the “King of the North” along with the “King of the South” and so forth, were given a huge amount of attention. That this book is now out-of-print should tell you something.... The “New Light” this book offered at that time has been extinguished.



The fact of the matter is that NO ONE, including the Governing Body at the Org's headquarters, the so-called “Faithful & Discreet Slave”, can properly understand the Book of Revelation without drawing conclusions based on fanciful, self-serving interpretations. Now, IF the WT Org had exercised caution and avoided drawing conclusions in such definite terms, then we could acknowledge these interpretations as possibilities. However, The Org took a different route, asserting that these interpretations would be fulfilled as interpreted. Fifty years later, we are all still waiting….



As Jesus well stated "the blind shall lead the blind and both shall fall into the ditch"....

Answer 5

Are you talking about the 7-headed Sea (Wild) beast or the SCARLET coloured "image" beast? They are not the same. The sea beast does NOT represent the United Nations, that would be the Scarlet beast.





LEARN MORE

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/revelation-13-beast/





It would be helpful if you provide a link since you claim to be refering to what is online Under the FAQ. The only page I can find on the subject (outside the Library) is above (not Under FAQ but a featured article) and its refering to the SEA beast NOT the SCARLET beast.

Answer 6

The Bible tells us that the wild beast is the political system. (Revelation 17:9, 10)



The other wild beast “that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth king, but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction,” is the one that pictures the UN. (Revelation 17:11)

Answer 7

The FAQs on the official site tend to be somewhat economical with the truth. They don't want the general non-JW public getting the full dose of their extremism so they tend to spin it in such a way as to mislead the public into thinking that they're more moderate in their views than they actually are.

Answer 8

WT Society: Okay everyone, today we'll talk about the beast of revelation.

JWs: Amen!

WT Society: The Beast of Revelation is the UN.

JWs: Amen!



then you know, everyone goes out door-to-door now.

Answer 9

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